Artist in residence, Stockholm, June 9 – August 31, 2023

Mari Raudsepp works as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. She graduated from the School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm (2016) and Åsa folkhögskola in Sköldinge (2008). She has been active in the street dance culture/field and battle/club scene since 2008 and she is actively involved in different contexts and roles in her artistic work. Mari works mainly with improvisation/freestyle and she is interested in how social dances can be expressed in a stage/choreographic context.

Photo: David West

Mari Raudsepp

Since 2014, she has been a member of the dance collective ”De La Vibe” and practices/competes and teaches primarily in house dance both internationally and in Sweden. An important part of her artistic work is traveling and participating in various streetdance events/battles around the world.

For the past years she has been working with the dance collective “Rosales” with the choreographer Paloma Madrid. Rosales is a multidisciplinary choreographic platform for studies of the body, artistic healing processes and performing arts. Their recent production is called “En koreografisk intervention”. “En koreografisk intervention” works with sustainable cultivation and explores the relationship between humans and nature.

Mari Raudsepp is currently working on her project/performance ”Groove”. The project ”Groove” is based on traditions from house dance and gqom dance and explores the groove of the dance forms and the spirit of the styles. The aim is together with dancers/collaboration partners from South Africa uplift/raise house dance and gqom dance and create meetings and exchanges.

The aim with the project is an exchange of skills of dancers in the performing arts and to generate new oppertunities for artistic creation within performing arts. ”Groove” works with repetitions, space and different physical qualities. All these concepts are taken from the original expression and form of house dance/gqom dance.  ”Groove” is about being yourself and allowing yourself to connect with the music, yourself and the collective in a deep way.

During her residency at IASPIS, Mari will invite dancers from South Africa on a culture exchange and continue work on her project ”Groove”.